Tashtego stood in the bows. He was full of the fire of the hunt.
He hated Pip for a poltroon. Snatching the boat-knife from its sheath,
he suspended its sharp edge over the line, and turning towards Stubb,
exclaimed interrogatively, "Cut?" Meantime Pip's blue, choked face
plainly looked, Do, for God's sake! All passed in a flash.
In less than half a minute, this entire thing happened.
"Damn him, cut!" roared Stubb; and so the whale was lost
and Pip was saved.
So soon as he recovered himself, the poor little negro was assailed
by yells and execrations from the crew. Tranquilly permitting
these irregular cursings to evaporate, Stubb then in a plain,
business-like, but still half humorous manner, cursed Pip officially;
and that done, unofficially gave him much wholesome advice.
The substance was, Never jump from a boat, Pip, except--but all
the rest was indefinite, as the soundest advice ever is.
Now, in general, Stick to the boat, is your true motto in whaling;
but cases will sometimes happen when Leap from the boat, is still better.
Moreover, as if perceiving at last that if he should give undiluted
conscientious advice to Pip, he would be leaving him too wide a margin
to jump in for the future; Stubb suddenly dropped all advice,
and concluded with a peremptory command "Stick to the boat, Pip,
or by the Lord, I won't pick you up if you jump; mind that.
Pages:
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677